The use of roller cutting elements comprising ultra-hard constructions including a body, formed from ultra-hard materials such as diamond, polycrystalline diamond (PCD), cubic boron nitride (cBN), polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN), and a carbide substrate are well known in the art. An example of such known roller cutting element is one where the ultra-hard construction comprises a PCD body that is joined together with a carbide substrate. Such rolling cutter further includes an extension that is brazed onto the carbide substrate, and that extends a desired distance away from the ultra-hard construction. The extension is configured to fit within a pocket of a drilling tool such as a drill bit in a manner that permits the ultra-hard construction to rotate within the pocket during drill bit use.
Such conventional roller cutting elements may fail or otherwise have a compromised service life due to reduced strength and/or toughness when placed into drill bit service. It is, therefore, desired that roller cutting elements be developed in a manner that provide an increased level of strength and/or toughness when compared to conventional roller cutting elements, thereby increasing the effective service life of the same. It is also desired that such roller cutting elements be provided in a manner that does not sacrifice desired properties of the ultra-hard construction, such as wear resistance and/or abrasion resistance. It is still further desired that such roller cutting elements be manufactured in a manner that is efficient and does not involve the use of exotic materials and/or techniques.